Amy Schwabenlender, Author at Keys to Change | Arizona

Housing Status

We don’t use words like “arrest,” “incarcerate,” or “force treatment” when we talk about housed people that have mental illness and addictions.

Can we write prescriptions for safe, affordable, and permanent housing?

I will pull myself together and carry on, because I am not homeless. I can keep working on solutions to prevent and end homelessness.

The only thing the same for the 1,724 people in our purview is that they do not have a safe, permanent, affordable place to live.

We have time to start moving back to strategy rather than operating in crisis mode. There are bright spots and success stories every day.

I write as myself. It allows me to release ideas, words, thoughts, commentary, knowledge, and experience from my brain into this communal space.

The way we treat our clients and our employees is a reflection of our organization’s values. And we hope it reflects our funders’ values.

When I catch myself looking in the rearview mirror for what feels like too long. I say “pay attention to what’s in front of you.”

We lack leadership at all levels of government to redirect and prioritize policy and resources to make eliminating homelessness a reality.

Everyone deserves a healthy life, and that means having a home; even if they made some bad choices along the way.